No results declared yet, but it’s looking clear cut – Nicola Sturgeon will be back as First Minister with a majority.
As predicted, Lib Dems looking good to win back Edinburgh Western.
It’s looking like a bleak night for Labour …
more in the morning
Tag: Scottish Parliament
And now … the only poll that counts
SNP landslide predicted
The polls have closed. The exhausted candidates and their campaign teams have done all they can. They’ll fret and wonder if they’ve done enough. Could we have chapped more doors? Delivered more leaflets? Attended more events? It’s too late now – the polls have closed, and the voters have made their minds up. Continue reading And now … the only poll that counts
Last call for Holyrood candidates
Thinking of standing in the Holyrood election? Then you’d better get your skates on!
Nominations close today for candidates to stand in next month’s Scottish Parliamentary Election – and papers must be submitted by 4pm.
The Notice of Election was published on 14 March for Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Southern and Edinburgh Western Constituencies plus the Lothian Region.
In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, by Friday, 1 April.
The Scottish Parliamentary Election will take place on Thursday 5 May when people living across Scotland will elect MSPs to represent them at Holyrood.
Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for Edinburgh and Regional Returning Officer for the Lothian Region, said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period. The forthcoming election will enable the city’s residents to have their say, and I would take this opportunity to urge all citizens to use their vote.
“We are keen to continue the enthusiasm demonstrated by voters during the UK Parliamentary Election last year and the Scottish Referendum in 2014, including the 16 and 17-year-olds who will be able to vote for the first time. Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”
More than 84% of the city’s residents voted in the Scottish Independence Referendum in September 2014, which also saw a record-breaking turnout across the country. At the UK Parliamentary Election in May 2015 turnout in the capital stayed high, at an average of 73% across Edinburgh’s five constituencies.
On 5 May it will be the first time that 16 and 17-year-olds can vote in a Parliamentary election after the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill was passed last year.
While most people who registered to vote in time for the UK Parliamentary Election will still be eligible to take part in the Scottish Parliament Election in May, first time voters or anyone who has since moved house will need to register again. Continue reading Last call for Holyrood candidates
Successful partnership praised at Holyrood
A successful partnership which has directly benefited patients across Scotland was recognised at an event at the Scottish Parliament this week. Continue reading Successful partnership praised at Holyrood
Unions unite to challenge austerity cuts
GMB Scotland and Unite are organising a lobby of the Scottish Parliament to coincide with the stage one debate on Scottish Government budget which takes place at Holyrood at 2.40 pm today (Wednesday 3 February). Continue reading Unions unite to challenge austerity cuts
Active Kids time again
It’s that time of year again when Sainsburys Blackhall are launching our active kids vouchers (writes Gail Wilson).
This year we launched our Active Kids campaign at the Scottish parliament. Our store manager George Paton, Customer Service Manager Louisa Higgins and I had the great pleasure of meeting paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds, along with a group of children from Blackhall Primary school.
The children had a great time and showed that being active can be fun as they all bounced around on space hoppers they were given!
Make sure you collect your vouchers in store now as you shop!
Buzz of excitement as Flora serves up Holyrood honey
Great British Bake Off star Flora Shedden brought a buzz of excitement to the Scottish Parliament this week as she joined the Presiding Officer to unveil a specially commissioned bake made with honey from the Scottish Parliament’s beehives. Continue reading Buzz of excitement as Flora serves up Holyrood honey
Holyrood: ‘Welfare reforms are not working’
Controversial reforms to the benefits system are failing in their objective of encouraging the unemployed into work, according to new research published this week.
A report published by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee has found “little support for the view that welfare reform is having important and positive impacts on the labour market in Scotland”. The reforms are estimated to take £1.5bn out of the Scottish economy, equivalent to £440 a year for every adult of working age, as evidenced in previous research for the Committee.
The research was conducted for the Committee by Christina Beatty and Steve Forthergill of Sheffield Hallam University and Donald Houston of the University of Glasgow. It sets out detailed analysis of the link between employment figures and the various welfare reforms.
Michael McMahon MSP, Convener of the Welfare Reform Committee, said: “This research presents firm evidence that welfare reforms are not working.
“Thousands of people in Scotland have faced upheaval in their lives as a result of these changes, yet they are not leading to more people entering the job market.
“Just as our Committee has already heard from witnesses, the report also shows that people are fighting on several fronts to make ends meet as they are hit by cuts to multiple benefits. This tallies with research we published earlier this year that concluded that parents and people with disabilities were being hit hardest by welfare reform.”
The report also argues that it is economic recovery, in the form of improved consumer spending and higher borrowing, that has contributed to higher employment levels (and reduced numbers of unemployed people in Scotland), rather than welfare reform.
Larger than average reductions in unemployment in the places hit hardest by welfare reform also happened in previous economic upturns. This makes it impossible to attribute recent trends to welfare reform.
Mr McMahon continued: “The most deprived areas of the country are contributing the most savings to the welfare budget. Yet rather than this shining a spotlight on the success of welfare reform it only serves to highlight that these areas are losing out financially against other, better-off parts of the country.”
Evidence was based on the impact of reforms introduced before 2015, however the report considers the likely impact of the £12bn of further welfare cuts recently announced by Chancellor, George Osbourne MP. It concludes that it is hard to see this new round of reductions having any greater impact on the labour market. Given that reductions to tax credits account for around half the additional planned saving, and that a large proportion of these cuts falls on in-work claimants, a reduction in the numbers on out-of-work benefits seems even less likely as a result of the new round of welfare reforms.
Professor Fothergill said: “This research delivers a severe blow to the Westminster government claims about the positive impact of welfare reforms on the labour market, not just in Scotland but potentially across the rest of the UK as well.”
Professor Fothergill will appear before the Committee on Tuesday (8 September).
Double exposure at Holyrood
Photography in sharp focus at the Scottish Parliament
World-leading photojournalism takes centre stage at the Scottish Parliament this summer as two inspirational exhibitions are unveiled today.
The World Press Photo (WPP) Exhibition 2015 is an international contest for photojournalists and features 130 moving and thought provoking images taken during the course of 2014. Once again the Scottish Parliament is the only Parliament in the world to host the exhibition.
Michael Peto: Politics in Focus includes photographs by Michael Peto – the celebrated Hungarian-born photographer who witnessed some of the most historic moments of the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition includes a number of unseen photographs of some of the world’s most iconic figures. People who have shaped and changed the way we see the world including Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Indira Ghandi and Jennie Lee.
Both exhibitions are free to visit and will be on display in the Scottish Parliament’s Main Hall and Burns Room (Committee Room 1) until Saturday 22 August.
The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP said: “The photographs in these two exhibitions show photojournalism at its finest. The images may be split by decades but what they have in common is their quality and thought provoking nature. They capture moments of time and make us look at who we are and what we do in a different way.
“I am proud that the Scottish Parliament is once again home to remarkable photography exhibitions that offer the people of Scotland the chance to see these images in their Parliament.”
Award-winning actor Brian Cox, Rector at the University of Dundee and Patron of the Peto collection, added: “From humble beginnings Michael Peto grew into an incredible artist and photographer. With an intense interest in the variations of human form he had a talent for capturing his subjects in their natural environment.
“This collection is an extraordinary gift he has left us, so please learn, appreciate, enjoy.”
Women hit hardest by welfare reforms
‘inequalities faced by women have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda’ – Clare Adamson MSP
Women are being hit hard on multiple fronts by changes to the benefits system, according to a report published by Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee today.
The Committee found women are ‘disproportionately impacted’ by welfare reform across a range of issues and benefits. Its report includes recommendations to the Scottish Government and Department of Work and Pensions, aimed at mitigating the impact of welfare reform on women, including:
- An integrated approach to job seeking support across health, housing and social care, to better meet the needs of women.
- To tackle the greater dependence of women on the benefits system due to low pay and insecure employment, the Committee calls for better measures to close the gender pay gap and end occupational segregation.
Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP, said: “The evidence we have set out confirms the devastating impact on women of the UK Government’s reforms to the social security system. Of particular concern is the cumulative impact on women hit by multiple benefits cuts, from child support to carer’s allowance.
“The UK Government urgently needs to look at how women are being affected by these changes and we are also calling on the Scottish Government to look at the gender impact of their own policy decisions.”
Deputy Convener Clare Adamson MSP, said: ““Our report shows inequalities faced by women in Scotland have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda. With the Scotland Bill still making its way through Westminster and the Chancellor set to announce even deeper cuts to welfare spending, the Committee is urging the Scottish Government to make use of expected new powers over welfare to help mitigate more of the negative impact of welfare reform on women.
“The Committee would, for instance, support a move away from monthly and single household payments under Universal Credit, as a way of protecting women’s financial autonomy.”
The report will come as no surprise to many, but perhaps of more concern is the scale of cuts still to come: Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce a further £12 billion of welfare ‘savings’ in his budget on Wednesday.
Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said more women could be pushed into poverty and disproportionately affected by social security reforms if the UK Government cuts £12 billion from its welfare budget.
Commenting on the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee’s Women and Social Security report Mrs Burgess expressed her fears that the UK Government’s emergency budget would only deepen the gender inequalities highlighted in the findings.
The report backed Scottish Government recommendations on payment flexibilities under Universal Credit and it also highlighted the need for gender impacts to be factored into any policy decisions.
Mrs Burgess will meet women at One Parent Families Scotland in Glasgow today to hear their views on how the Scottish Government can create a Fairer Scotland. This comes on the same day as Barnardo’s Scotland and the Scottish Government joined forces to call a halt to proposed cuts.
Mrs Burgess said: “It is alarming to see that women have been disproportionately affected by the UK Government’s benefits cuts and are twice as dependent on social security than men. I am deeply concerned that the UK Government’s £12 billion cuts will only widen this gap.
“With our new powers we will create a fairer and simpler social security system that aims to tackle gender and other inequalities. However we need to know how the UK Government’s cost cutting will affect benefits that are to be devolved.
“Organisations like One Parent Families Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland see the effects of social security changes on the groups the report highlights as being particularly vulnerable, on a day to day basis, and are rightly concerned about the devastating impact further cuts could have on children.
“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations over Universal Credit and sanctions, and we will continue to do all we can to break down the barriers that prevent women from entering into work.
“Over the next few months we’ll be listening to the people affected by the UK Government’s welfare changes and cuts and, will be making sure we get the views of women on how we can create a system that suits their needs.
“Despite challenges from the UK Government we are tackling poverty head on. Our new Independent Adviser on Poverty and Inequality will be looking at what more we can do to lift people out of poverty, we have invested £296 million in welfare mitigation measures, extended our childcare and are encouraging employers to pay the Living Wage.”
Last week the children’s commissioners for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland warned in a report to the United Nations that government austerity measures had failed to protect the most vulnerable children. The report said the £12bn of planned cuts would have the biggest effect on the 2.3 million children in the UK estimated to be living in poverty.